Star goalies weren't always highly coveted

Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, May 19, 1999

THERE ARE four simple reasons why Dallas, Colorado, Buffalo and Toronto are still in the chase for the Stanley Cup: Ed Belfour, Patrick Roy, Dominik Hasek and Curtis Joseph.

In a word, goaltending.

No one will argue their outstanding play, and no one should be surprised. But just for kicks, let's look back and see where this foursome came from.

Belfour went undrafted and signed a free-agent contract on Sept. 27, 1987, with Chicago after having played collegiate hockey at North Dakota. Dallas is his third NHL team. A Blackhawk for eight years, Belfour stopped in San Jose long enough after a trade to entice Dallas in his free-agent signing before last year.

Dallas has thanked its lucky stars ever since.

Because Chicago had Belfour and few people believed European goalies could make the necessary transition to the smaller rinks in North America, the Blackhawks gave up on Hasek, who was drafted by Chicago in the 11th round (207th overall) in 1983. Hasek was dealt to Buffalo on Aug. 7, 1992.

Oops, Hawks. Your "bad."

Like Belfour, Joseph went undrafted. He signed as a free agent on June 16, 1989, with St. Louis, which dealt him, after six solid seasons, to Edmonton. The cash-poor Oilers lost Joseph via unrestricted free agency to Toronto last offseason.

Shame on you Blues, Oilers.

Even Roy, the league's all-time winningest playoff goalie, lasted until the fourth round of the 1984 draft. Taken 51st overall, Roy was selected at a time when teams rarely used a high pick on goaltenders. Montreal got 10 full seasons out of Roy, but dealt him to Colorado on Dec. 6, 1995, when the goalie, the coach and the city could no longer co-exist.

Sacre bleu, Canadiens.

Now, in the two conference final series, don't expect the plot to change. Goaltending will again be the most important factor. Roy has history on his side. Belfour has something to prove. Hasek has the reputation. Joseph is a proven money player.

In the West, Dallas has the home-ice edge, an advantage the Stars would possess if they advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. During the regular season, Colorado won twice, lost once and tied the Stars. The Avalanche have more talent up front, but Dallas is more bruising.

In the East, Toronto carried the flag of Canada, which is both a source of pride and a heavy burden. Buffalo, only 90 miles away, is meeting the Leafs for the first time in postseason. The Sabres won the first three games this season, and the Leafs won the last two. They have played each other just once since Christmas.

Halfway through the playoffs there's no reason to stray from the original prediction that appeared here already: Dallas vs. Buffalo in the finals.

Blades all Thorough&lt;

Despite having a 3-2 edge in games at one point, San Jose's top minor-league affiliate, Kentucky, was eliminated from Calder Cup contention, losing a seven-game series to Philadelphia.

The visiting Thoroughblades lost the decider on Sunday, 9-3, as the Phantoms - the Flyers' feeder club - advanced to face Rochester in the Western Conference finals. And yes, it would appear the AHL is a geographically challenged league.

Around the league&lt;

It's not what the Sharks want to hear, but coveted 19-year-old unsigned prospect Brad Stuart sustained a possible concussion Monday night during the Calgary Hitmen's 4-3 loss to host Ottawa during Memorial Cup Tournament play. Ottawa defenseman Lance Galbraith faces a possible suspension for his elbowing major that dropped Stuart, who remained on the ice for three minutes while doctors checked him. Stuart then needed assistance to the dressing room.

One big reason why there were 6,000 fewer penalty minutes this season over last is fighting was down 23 percent from last year and down 30 percent from two years ago. . . . After his Bruins beat Carolina in the first round, coach Pat Burns had a barber reduce his full head of hair to a crew cut. He told his players the longer they lasted in the playoffs, the shorter his hair would get. "My mother called from Montreal to tell me they ran almost a full-page photo in a local paper of me with the new haircut," Burns said. "It's amazing how a haircut is a public affair." He can let his locks grow again now.

Full credit goes to Allan Maki of the Toronto Globe and Mail for coming up with this: If you rearrange the letters in Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy's name it comes out A Rocky Trip. . . . Road teams won 30 of the first 55 playoff games (.545), the highest winning percentage since expansion in 1967 and 16 percentage points higher than the record.

The Penguins picked the wrong time Monday to lose a Game 6 at home for the first time this decade. They had been 4-0. The question now is, will Pittsburgh ever participate in another Game 6? Or will it be the Portland Penguins? . . . When trailing after two periods, Dallas is an impressive 4-1 in the playoffs. A key to the Stars' second-round series win was their penalty killing. It was 26-for-28 against St. Louis, which went 9-for-33 on the power play in a seven-game first-round series triumph over Phoenix.

Oops: Senators star Alexei Yashin, playing for Russia, high-sticked NHL teammate Daniel Alfredsson, playing for Sweden, in a World Championships game in Norway last week. The result was a facial cut that required nine stitches to close. Alfredsson later said he didn't realize it was Yashin but added only, "It happens." Yashin, meanwhile, declined to answer questions.&lt;

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